US Navy’s First Taiwan Strait Transit Of 2024 Sparks Tensions With China

China has reportedly accused the U.S. military of abusing international law and continuing harmful provocations in East Asia on Thursday after a destroyer belonging to the U.S. Navy made its service’s first transit of the Taiwan Strait in 2024. The movement of the USS John Finn via the waterway that distinguishes the democratically ruled Taiwan from communist mainland China on Wednesday was also the first-ever transit of any U.S. warship via the Strait since the elections on the island about two weeks ago.

The vote gave the ruling Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan a third epic and consecutive presidential victory, with the voters shrugging off any warnings from Beijing that its re-election would increase the risks of conflicts. China’s ruling Communist Party perceives Taiwan to be a part of its territory despite never being able to control it, and Xi Jinping has still not ruled out the use of military forces to “reunify” the mainland and the island.

The U.S. is also obligated, per the Taiwan Relations Act, to offer Taiwan the military means to defend itself, which Beijing regards as interference in its country’s internal affairs. Cmdr. Meagan Greene, the U.S. Navy 7th Fleet spokesperson, stated on Wednesday that the transit of the USS John Finn via the Strait was made following international law.

The ship sailed via a corridor in the Strait beyond the territorial waters of any of the coastal States. John Finn’s transit via the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for nations as a principle, Greene mentioned.

While John Finn’s transit of the Taiwan Strait was the first in 2024, U.S. war vessels and warplanes travelled via and over the waterway. Last year, the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard vessels and Navy reconnaissance planes made about 11 transits of the Strait, per a database maintained by Collin Koh, a research fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies based in Singapore.

On Thursday, China’s Defense Ministry declared that Washington was courting dangers with its current military activities in the zone, saying that a behaviour change is urgently required to avoid maritime or air accidents, per the Xinhua news agency’s English website. He urged the U.S. side to end abusing international law, cease dangerous provocation, and discipline its troops, the story elaborated.

Earlier in the month, Adm. John Aquilino, the commander associated with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, had accused Beijing of ramping up tensions. Aquilino informed a defence forum based in Hawaii that he was expecting a show of forces against Taiwan from China in the wake of such a result in the election.

Koh, the Singaporean analyst, said that Beijing may be a bit “miffed” at Washington right now, particularly after agreeing to renew military-to-military discussions in December 2023. Given that Beijing likely believes that it has extended the olive branch by deciding to reopen military-to-military communications and high-level exchanges, it may have perceived a lack of reciprocity from the U.S., per Koh.

Reference: CNN Wire

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